As I drove around this morning I could not help but be bemused at the suggestion on talk back radio that we should look again at Council Amalgamations.

And this at a time when my Council must deliberate on such issues as how many wards we should have and how many elected members we should have amongst other things as part our legislated responsibility.

I lived down south when wholesale amalgamations occurred and I saw three councils merge into one very big council. As a ratepayer down there I saw no benefit in rate saving as was touted and I saw no improvement in efficiency.

Having, as a rate payer, and now as an elected member, witnessed what a smaller council can achieve because of its closeness to the people, I fail to see what good can come of future amalgamations.

Bigger councils can swallow up small geographical areas and these areas  can tend to lose their identity as a result. I wonder too if these smaller areas can get left behind when it comes to infrastructure improvements or services provided because they do not have a big enough voice on the bigger stage.

Is this just a passing observation by the Lord Mayor of Adelaide or are we about to see another concerted effort to make change for changes sake.

I love the intimacy that we share in Unley because of our size.